In Summer: A Frozen Musical Debuts at Disney California Adventure in 2016

Summer at Disney California Adventure is going to get a whole lot cooler, when a new musical inspired by Disney’s animated smash Frozen debuts in 2016.

This all-new theatrical production will open at the Hyperion Theater, and will “immerse you in the world of Frozen as never before.” Dana Harrel, Portfolio Creative Entertainment Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, told the Disney Parks Blog: ““Our stage production of Frozen will stay true to the heart and soul of the film. Anna and Elsa will carry the audience on an emotional journey that includes show-stopping production numbers and a few unique theatrical twists. We can’t wait for everyone to see it!” Disney Parks Blog notes that the new production will come complete with “elaborate costumes and sets, stunning special effects and surprising scenic transformations.”

Of course, with a new show set to open at the Hyperion Theater, that means another one will sadly close. After nearly 14,000 shows, Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular will have its final curtain call on January 10, 2016. Since opening 13 years earlier (almost to the day, it’s opening date was January 16, 2003), the show has delighted millions of guests, as it magically recreated fan favorite moments and musical numbers from the animated classic. If you haven’t seen it yet, the show will still be performed several times daily up until January 10, 2016. So if one of your three wishes is to see this production, you still have time to make that happen!

“Thanks to our amazing cast and the many, many fans, Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular has enjoyed a longer run at Disney California Adventure park than we could have ever imagined,” said Vice President of Operations for Disney California Adventure park Kris Theiler told Disney Parks Blog. “Today, we are excited to share more exciting news about another story that will soon come to life for guests at the Hyperion Theater. With larger-than-life musical numbers, wondrous scenery and lovable characters, Frozen will begin entertaining guests in 2016.”

This new musical at Disney California Adventure is one of several Frozen-themed attractions on the way for various Disney theme parks. Next year, Frozen Ever After will open at the Norway pavilion in Walt Disney World’s Epcot, and an entire new Nordic port of Arendelle is on the way at Disney TokyoSea. (Currently the Coolest Summer Ever limited time event is winding down at Walt Disney World.) So if you’re a fan of the film, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to let it go over the next few years.

The RIAA – the organization that represents the recording industry of America – announced this week that Idina’s recording of “Let It Go” from Disney’s feature-length film Frozen has been certified 8 times platinum, selling over 8,000,000 digital copies of the song in the USA.

Although we’ve known the title for a while, Random House released the cover art earlier today for the upcoming Frozen chapter book, Anna & Elsa #7: The Secret Admirer (on sale January 5, 2016, now available for pre-order), which we shared this morning on our social media channels.

While we have no synopsis for the title, it seems clear from the cover that Elsa is on the receiving end of some affection from the titular secret admirer. Who the secret admirer is and whether the admiration is requited remains to be seen, but our followers have some strong ideas on both Twitter and Tumblr where the image has gone viral.

Out of the guesses we’ve seen, Anna seems to have a strong representation as does everyone from Olaf to Marshmallow (!) to anonymous village children and even Hans. Those in the clear appear to include Kristoff (of course) and the Duke of Weselton.

One comment reminds us that the Anna & Elsa chapter books are considered canon so should it turn out Elsa does have a new love interest on the horizon, could we end up exploring more of it in a new Frozen short or the Frozen sequel?

So who will turn out to be Elsa’s secret admirer? Guess we will have to wait until January for sure. Too bad we don’t know any love experts.

This title will be followed up by Anna & Elsa #8: Return to the Ice Palace which will be released in July.

There’s a new aircraft joining the WestJet fleet today that we know many Disney Parks Blog readers will want to see for themselves. It’s a special, custom-painted Disney “Frozen”-themed plane featuring Anna, Elsa and Olaf from the beloved Disney film.

Disney artists, cast members and WestJetters collaborated to design the “Frozen”-themed aircraft. And similar to the earlier Magic Plane, Disney wanted the outside of the aircraft to tell a story.

On the tail of our aircraft, Anna and Elsa celebrate sisterhood and the magic of snow. From the aircraft tail along the fuselage, the magic travels to warm the front of the aircraft where Olaf can be found enjoying a summer day on the beach.

The inside of the plane has a design that matches the outside. In the rear of the aircraft, the overhead bins and headrest covers have a cold theme. As you move towards the middle of the plane, the interior decoration transitions to become warmer, ultimately arriving on a warm, sunny theme at the front of the plane.

Here are some cool facts we’ve learned about the plane:•The aircraft was painted in Fort Worth, Texas.•The paint team included team members from Canada, the United States and Germany. They watched Frozen to get them into the spirit before work began.•The job took 21 days of 12-hour rotations involving a constant crew of six painters working 24/7.•Sparkles were added to the paint in sections to add shimmer and shine as the aircraft moves.•An airbrush artist was brought in to work on details around the sun, water and castle.•There are 54 separate overhead bin doors on the aircraft and each has a unique Frozen decal.

While the Disney “Frozen”-themed plane is inspired by Walt Disney World Resort, it will operate flights throughout WestJet’s network, not just to Orlando

We Just Found Out So Much More About Epcot’s Frozen Ever After Attraction

We Frozen fans are all eagerly awaiting the opening of the ride in Walt Disney World, and in the meantime, we just heard some updates that gave us chills. (See what we did there?)

Frozen Ever After, which will open its doors in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion in early 2016, will be a boat ride that takes visitors on a tour of Arendelle. As the Orlando Sentinel reports, you can expect to hear “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” and “Let It Go” on the ride, each with slightly altered lyrics.

It wouldn’t be a Disney Parks attraction without an immersive story, and Frozen Ever After will spin a tale by taking you through a Winter in Summer celebration in which Elsa makes it snow. The journey begins in the queue, where you’ll see Oaken peeking out from the steamed-up windows of his Trading Post and yelling “Hoo-hoo!” On the ride, you’ll see Sven helping set up for the celebration, Olaf ice-skating, and Marshmallow getting up to some still-unspecified hijinks. You’ll enter Troll Valley, where Grand Pabbie will recount how Anna and Kristoff met. Then comes the part we’re most excited for—a visit to Elsa’s ice palace as she sings “Let It Go” and makes it snow. The ride will end with fireworks and the characters bidding you farewell.

If all that Frozen fun has you eager to get some face time with Anna and Elsa, you’ll be able to stop by the Norway Pavilion’s Royal Sommerhus, where the sisters will be receiving royal guests.